The Case of the Disappearing Paycheck

Learners will multiply an hourly wage by hours worked, identify and subtract deductions, calculate overtime, and combine these in a multi-step word problem to determine the correct net pay on a real-world pay stub. Learners will explain their answer in plain language.

"Today we are not just doing math. We are using numbers to protect someone's real life. When math feels confusing, we slow down, find the question, identify the numbers, choose the operation, and solve one step at a time."

Open the cinematic intro together. Read Maria's situation aloud. Pause on the safety screen and take one breath as a class. Then let learners pick their role — this signals agency.

• Have you ever looked at a paycheck and felt confused? What did you do?
• Why do deductions exist? What might they pay for?
• What's the difference between gross pay and net pay in your own words?
• Where else in life could this same multi-step thinking protect you?

• Adding hours and rate instead of multiplying.
• Forgetting to subtract deductions, or subtracting them twice.
• Confusing overtime rate with overtime hours.
• Stopping after one step on a multi-step problem.
• Saying "the deposit was right" without checking every clue.

1. Carlos earns $14/hour and worked 32 hours. What is his gross pay?
2. His deductions are $58. What is his net pay?
3. If he also worked 3 overtime hours at $21/hour, what should his corrected net pay be?

(Answers: $448 · $390 · $453)

Bring in a real pay stub (yours or a family member's, with permission) — or a sample one online. Identify gross pay, total deductions, and net pay. Write one sentence: "My net pay is ___ because ___."